Lubricated bearing for electric fans.



G. C. MARX.

LUBRICATED BEARING FOR ELECTRIC FANS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-16,1910.

Patented Jan. 4, 1916.

a I g V l/VVE/VTOR WITNESSES:

l1 TTORNEV ing the field coils, and

the lower onirnn srarns ra rnnr oration.

GUSTAVE C. MARX, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO DIEHL MANUFAC-TURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

LUBRICATED BEARING FOR ELECTRIC FANS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. a, 1916.

Application filed December 16, 1910. Serial No. 597,663.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gus'ravn C. Manx, acitizen of the United States, residing at Elizabeth, in the county ofUnion and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Lubricated Bearings for Electric Fans, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention relates especially to electric ceiling fans, and it hasfor its object to provide armature bearings which shall be Wellprotected from the introduction of dirt between the contact surfaces,which shall have the requisite lubrication to enable it to run for along period without attention, and which shall have an efficient bearingto sustain the weight of the armature.

In its preferred form, the present improvement is embodied in a ceilingfan having its frame constructed with a closed vertically-arrangedcylindrical drum with inwardly extending field-magnet corescarryprovided with an axially sustained stationary armature-shaft uponwhich is mounted the armature constructed with a sleeve having at theupper end a self-lubricating side-bearing and at end a ball-bearingsupported by the shaft and adapted to sustain the weight and theside-thrust of the lower end of the sleeve to which the blade-carrierwith its attached fan-blades is secured. In practice,

:the drum carrying the field-magnets is entirely closed at the top andsides and has its lower end closed by a cap-plate having a centralaperture loosely embracing the armature-sleeve above the blade-carrier,formed with an oil cavity for supplying oil to a ball-bearingconstructed with substantially conical ball-raceways concaved toaccommodate the balls.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a sectional elevatlon of anelectric ceiling fan embodying the present improvements, the frame andits cap-plate being represented in section upon one side through afieldmagnet core and at the other side through one of the brushes; andFig. 2 a bottom plan view of the same.

The motor-frame is shown provided with the circular plate 1 formed withthe lateral lugs 2 for attachment to a ceiling and with the annularflange .3 tongued to fit the similarly grooved upper end of thecylindrical shell or drum 4 secured thereto by means of bolts 5 andhaving projectingfrom its inner wall the radial field-magnet cores 6cmbraced by the field-coil 7 To the annularly grooved lower edge of theshell 4 is secured by means of the screws 8 the cap plate 9 having adepending hub or projection 10 provided with a central aperture 11through which passes the shouldered and threaded lower end portion ofthe axially disposed stationary armature-shaft 12 whose shoul dered andthreaded upper end 13 is secured in the concentric boss l of the plate 1in which it is held from turning by means of the lock-nut 14.

The shaft 12 is formed in its upper end adjacent the boss 1 with thecollar 15 beneath which it is embraced by the tubular bushing 16 havingin its inner face a series of annular grooves containing rings 17 ofmetalline or other self-lubricating substance. The bushing 16 is fittedwithin an axial recess in the upper end of and forms a part of thearmature-sleeve 18 upon whose reduced upper end portion are clamped bymeans of the screw-ring 19 the component plates or laminations 20 of thearmature-core having the usual spaced peripheral notches to receive thearmature-coils 21. Below the bushing 16, the bore 22 of thearmaturesleeve 18 is considerably larger than the diameter of the shaftto provide clearance so as to prevent the creeping of oil upwardly fromthe lower armature bearing to the up per self-lubricating bearing, andan internal cavity 23 is also provided in the armature sleeve whoseupper wall serves to further arrest by centrifugal action the upwardmovement of the oil and thus prevent injury ofthe upper side-bearing. Itwill be seen that the centrifugal force created by the rapidly revolvingarmature-sleeve will tend to move the oil upwardly out of the receptacle37 until it enters the enlarged internal cavity 23, and that theatmospheric pressure from above and the centrifugal force from belowwill maintain the upper surface of the oil in substantially invertedcone formation, as illustrated by the dotted lines, Fig. 1.

The reduced lower portion of the sleeve 18 has an externally threadedportion 24 and an adjacent shoulder 2.5 to receive the internallythreaded upper end of the tubular armature to bespread within theinterior of commutator-holder 26 having at its upper end the annularflange 27 with the V-shaped member 28 between which and thecorrespondingly shaped member 29 of the clampring 30 are secured thecorrespondingly shaped inner portions of the commutator bars 31 by meansof the clamp-screws 32, insulating strips 33 being interposed betweenthe commutator bars and their respective clamping members.

Secured to the lower end of the commutator-holder 26 by means of thescrews 31 is the annularly recessed hub 35 of the blade carrier 36formed with the central oil receptacle 37 embracing the lower end of theshaft 12 and having the laterally extending arms 38 to which are securedby means of screws 39 the fan-blades 40.

The reduced and threaded lower end portion 41 of the stationary shaft 12has secured thereon the internally threaded collar 42 formed in theupper end with a substantially conical ball-raceway 48, the collar 12being secured in place by means of the lock-nut 1 1. Facing the raceway43 and complemental thereto is the substantially conical ball-raceway 15formed near the inner edge and at the bottom of the ring 46 fittedwithin the lower end of the tubular commutator-holder 26 beneath thesleeve 18. As shown in the drawings, the ball-raceways 4:3 and 45 areconcaved to embrace a series of interposed anti-friction balls 47, andthe ball-bearing thus formed serves as a combined sideand step-bearingto sustain the weight of the armature and the side-thrust of thebladecarrier as well.

Interposed between the top of the bushing 16 and the collar 15 of theshaft 12 is a washer 53 of felt or other suitable yielding materialserving to effectively exclude any dust or grit from the upperself-lubricating armature-journal, while the lower ball-bearing whichreceives the greater portion of the load imposed by the rotary armatureis supplied with grease or other lubricant contained within the closedoil cup 37. It wiil thus be seen that both armature bearings arepractically sealed against the admission of any foreign matter whichwould impair their efficiency or durability, while the construction issuch that the fluid or semi-fluid lubricant of the ball-bearing cannotpenetrate the dry self-lubricated upper sidehearing.

In case the side-bearing 16 17 should be otherwise located and ofdifferent type than above described, and should thus require lubricationfrom the oil receptacle 3? by suitable means, the clearance space 23around the shaft 12 intermediate the stepbearing and the washer 53 wouldstill perform its previously described function in preventing thecreeping of the oil above the the frame by the centrifugal actionproduced by the rapid rotation of the latter.

The cap-plate is shown provided with the radialbosses 51 in which aresecured by means of set-screws 55 the tubular bushings 56 of insulatingmaterial, each closed in its outer end by means of a plug 57 between theinner end of which and the adjacent end of the cylindrical carbon-brush58 fitted within the guide-tube 59 is a spring 60 by yielding contactwith the commutator within the cap-plate extension 10. The contactsurface of the commutator is protected from dirt from the exterior ofthe casing by the depending hub or projection 10 of the capplate 9,whose central aperture 11 is fitted loosely to the exterior of thecommutatorholder 26, but closely enough to prevent admission of foreignmatter, especially as the intervening annular opening is at the bottomof the motor-casing where dust and dirt are least liable to reach it.

While the present improvement is susceptible of modification within thescope of the invention, the embodiment herein shown and described isdeemed to be best suited for the conditions for which the improvementhas been designed.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim hereinis 2- 1. The combination withastationary vertical shaft, of a rotarysleeve embracing said shaft and having at the upper end aselflubricating side-bearing and at the lower end a combined sideandstep-bearing sustained by the shaft, said sleeve having a bore below itsside-bearing substantially larger than said shaft to afford clearancetherewith intermediate said bearings. and a closed oil-cup carried bysaid sleeve and embracing said combined sideand stepbearing.

2. The combination with a. stationary vertical shaft, of a rotary sleevesurrounding and spaced from said shaft, a combined sideand step-bearingsustained by the shaft for the lower end of said sleeve, a bladecarriercarried by said sleeve and embracing said side and step-bearing toafford a closed means of which the brush is maintained in o oil-cuptherefor, and a self-lubricating side- 7 bearing intermediate the upperportion of said sleeve and the shaft, the said side bearing and bladecarrier serving to seal the sleeve against dust.

3. The combination with a stationary vertical shaft, of a rotary sleevesurrounding and spaced from said shaft, a combined sideand step-bearingsustained by said shaft for the lower end of said sleeve, ablade-carrier carried by said sleeve and embracing said sideandstep-bearing to afl'ord a closed oilcup therefor, a self-lubricatingside-bearing Y for the upper portion of said sleeve, and an annularchamber with overhanging walls' formed in said sleeve intermediate itshearing members.

4. The combination with a stationary vertical shaft; provided with areduced threaded end, of a rotary sleeve surrounding said shaft, aself-lubricating side-bearing intermediate the upper portion of saidsleeve and the shaft, a collar fitted upon the threaded end of the shaftand affording a combined sideand step-bearing for the lower end of saidsleeve, a blade-carrier secured to said sleeve and embracing saidsideand stepbearing to afford a closed oil-cup therefor, and an internalcavity formed in the sleeve intermediate its bearing members and adaptedto arrest the upward movement of oil from said closed oil-cup.

5. The combination with a stationary vertical shaft, of a rotary sleevehaving an annular chamber merging into a shaft-receiving aperture, astep-bearing sustained by the shaft for the lower end of said sleeve, adetachable lubricant reservoir embracing the step-bearing and sealingthe lower end of the sleeve, and a self-lubricating side bearingintermediate the upper portion of the sleeve and said shaft and servingto close the sleeve against dust.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

GUSTAVE C. MARX.

Witnesses:

D. B. BIRNIE, H. J. MILLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

